Whirling pendulum



Oct. 13, 1970 M. s. KANBAR 3,533,185

wnnmme rnunumm Filed Jan. 29. 1969 INVENTOR. MAURICE 6 M/YBE 3,533,185 WHIRLING PENDULUM Maurice S. Kanbar, 4 E. 77th St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed Jan. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 794,896 Int. Cl. A63h ]/32 U8. Cl. 46--51 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A whirling pendulum constituted by a ball mounted on one end of an arm whose other end is pivoted in a bearing shaped as a finger piece which may be held prehensilely between the thumb and index finger and caused to rotate in a circular path passing through the crotch therebetween.

This invention relates generally to toys, and more particularly to a whirling pendulum which may be prehensilely held between the thumb and index finger and caused to rotate in a circular path passing through the crotch therebetween.

It has long been recognized that human tensions or boredom may be relieved by aimlessly whirling an object in the hand. Thus one often sees a person whilrling a set of keys on a chain, not for lack of anything better to do, but to satisfy some inner need. Policemen are frequently seen whirling a night stick on its thong. While there are various psychological theories as to why such motor activity is gratifying or beneficial, the fact remains that it is encountered universally and appears to arise out of the same impulses which produce foot tapping or other repetitive actions.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a toy which may be carried in the pocket and is expressly adapted to facilitate whirling activity to release tension or simply as a form of amusement.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a toy in the form of a pendulum which is pivoted on a bearing serving at a finger piece which may be gripped between the thumb and index finger and caused to rotate in the crotch therebetween.

For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, a whirling pendulum in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the pendulum, and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the pendulum, the bearing thereof being shown in section.

Referring now to the drawing, the whirling pendulum in accordance with the invention is constituted by a small weighted ball 10 such as a commercial metal ball bearing, which is attached by welding to the lower end of a pendulum arm 11 in the form of a metal strip whose opposing long sides are bowed inwardly to impart a symmetrical hourglass contour to the arm. Alternatively, the arm may be made with a circular cross section in hourglass form.

The other end of arm 11 is pivoted in a bearing, generally designated by numeral 12, the bearing being formed by a pair of spaced discs 13 and 14 joined together by a bearing pin 15 extending through an opening in arm 11. The exposed surfaces of the discs are formed with concave nited States Patent 9 m 3,533,185 Patented Oct. 13, 1970 depressions to accommodate fingers. The diameter of the discs is preferably equal to that of the ball.

Thus when the bearing 12, as shown in FIG. 1, is pressed between the thumb 16 and the index finger 17, one may readily rotate the pendulum so that it whirls in a circular path passing through the crotch region 18 between the prehensile fingers. The length of the pendulum must, of course, be appropriate to the dimensions of the crotch region.

Some skill is involved in setting the whirling pendulum into motion for it requires a somewhat complex movement of the fingers to create the forces necessary to produce the desired action. The ball is made heavy relative to the arm to facilitate the whirling motion.

In practice, the entire structure is highly polished and free of all sharp angles, the curves of the arm being extended without discontinuity into the related curvatures of the ball and bearing, as seen in FIG. 2. This is desirable, for when carried in the pocket, the toy serves as a feeling piece or worry bead which may be pleasantly fingered.

One need not grasp the pendulum between the thumb and index finger, but one may use: another finger for this purpose. Instead of making the device entirely of metal, only the weighted element need be of metal, the pendulum arm and bearing being formed of lightweight plastic. This concentration of weight at the end of the arm provides a highly efiective whirling action.

What I claim is:

1. A whirling pendulum comprising:

(A) a pendulum arm,

(B) a weighted element secured to an end of the arm,

and

(C) a bearing pivotally attached to the other end of the arm, said bearing having a pair of concavely indented discs to accommodate a finger and thumb of the user, whereby the pendulum may be whirled in the crotch region therebetween.

2. A pendulum, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said element is a ball bearing, and said arm and said hearing are made of highly polished metal.

3. A pendulum, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said arm is formed by a metal strip whose long sides are bowed inwardly to form a symmetrical structure.

4. A pendulum, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said arm is formed by a metal rod of circular cross-section and of hourglass form.

5. A pendulum, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said discs have the same diameter as said ball.

6. A pendulum, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said element is a metal ball and said arm and bearing are formed of plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,955 7/1906 Bohache 272-84 1,333,005 3/1920 Warner 27284 1,658,108 2/1928 Vaughn 272-84 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner D. L. WEINHOLD, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 272--67 

